The God of the Impossible & the Mark of the Beast - Episode #203

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Welcome back to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show. 

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Let’s go ahead and get started. God’s got good for you, and I am hopeful that this episode will remind you of that, no matter what kind of stuff life is throwing at you today.

 

You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, blessed to be part of the ministry of the Edifi app. That’s EDIFI, and you can find it in your app store. And if the show blesses or encourages you, I’d like to formally invite you to subscribe. This is episode number 203.

Today I am going to read a bunch of Bible verses to you and let the promises of God sink into your heart and also into your mind (because when the word of God gets into our mind, it literally  changes the way that we think and that, my friend, changes the way that we live). And I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to prepare you right now, before I even quote one single verse, to ready you and prepare you to believe His amazing promises to you so that you can live from here on out like they are taking place, being accomplished, in your life. Live like His promises to you are true.

 

Because they are! God keeps all of His promises so I want to encourage you today to live like you know He is keeping all of His promises to you. To your family. And to His people all over the world. 

 

Okay, so let’s dive into God’s Word and get some encouraging news in our ears, and into our thoughts, shall we? 

 

First let’s start with some powerful and hopeful words that Jesus spoke. I am quoting the NLT for today’s podcast & let’s look at Mark 12:27 - Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” 

 

Okay - this is where we are going to begin. It is so, so important to remember, when we are making the big bold decision to really, truly believe God’s promises - to live a believing life - that we don’t base our belief on anything other than the Lord. We don’t search out something in addition to Him in order to increase our faith. We aren’t mustering up more faith by trying to make ourselves have more faith. Rather, we are relying fully on Him. And we are simply deciding that we will believe what the Bible says to us. And so, this verse is just a great reminder that you don’t have to make God’s promises work out in your life, in your kid’s lives, etc. Nope. The pressure isn't on you to make happen what God has promised. But so often we live as if the pressure is on us, somehow, to do what is impossible for us. Only God is God, and only He can keep the promises He makes. Now only you can live by faith, believing God. But you and I have no ability or power to make it happen. We cannot get it done. But what we can get done is choose to believe Him, to take Him at His word, and to abide in Him moment by moment, even while we are expecting to see His promises fulfilled. 

 

There are actually many, many things in this life that are impossible - for mankind. For humans. For wives and for moms and for employees and so on. Humanly speaking, there is gonna be stuff that is just not possible. But not with God! Aren’t these words from Jesus incredible? 

Think for just a moment about what our Savior is actually saying to us. But not with God. EVERYTHING is possible with God.

 

So bring God into everything, then!

Never intentionally leave Him out of anything. You want the God who turns the impossible into the possible  - you want that God doing all the things in your life, right? 

 

Get a sense of Jesus, today, looking at you intently and reminding you, firmly but with great love and compassion, that it isn’t about mankind's ability to make this thing fly. Because  is is God and God alone who makes everything possible. 

 

Psalm 37:23 (NLT) says this - The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

 

Okay, this is a great verse! What hope it provides! What assurance! This is quite a promise!

He is promising that He will direct your steps. And guess what? You can pray this verse over your loved ones, your co-workers, your spouse, your aging parents, your neighbors. And also, pray this over yourself. 

 

Lord, please do as You have said in Your word and direct my steps. Lord, delight in every detail of my life.

 

Lord, direct my steps. I know my righteousness and any godliness within me is thanks to Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So Father, bless me and direct each step that I take. Stop me when I am near a misstep. Thank You for this promise of Your guidance and direction over my life, from now until my last breath. 

 

It says that He delights in every detail of our lives. So guess what that means for us? How does that relate to us living in total belief that God’s promises for us are absolutely true and are being realized on the daily? Well, take every little and every big detail of your life to God in prayer. You can do that! You should do that! He cares so much - talk to Him.Talk to Him often. Like, talk to God a lot! All of the time. And remember, and keep on remembering, He delights, not tolerates or endures or notices, but delights in every detail of your life. You are not just barely tolerable. No, to the contrary, you are one in whom God takes great delight. 

 

Oh this is a great promise. And a great prayer verse too. Quick side note here - anybody else feel kind of like we need to ramp up our praying? Just have that sense that we need to spend more time talking to the Lord, time in prayer by ourselves and maybe with others, too.  If you feel that way too, listen to the Lord as to what He is calling you to. And keep track of, write down, memorize, put in your phone verses that you can have at the ready at any moment to pray.That’s just a little tip that comes in handy, having some verses saved to a note on your phone so that you can open it and start praying those verses at any time, it can be helpful to have that at hand. And maybe open that note and pray those verses rather than scroll when you have ten minutes to spare. Just a thought!  Praying God’s promises is really amazing. Like, this will leave you amazed again and again. So, that’s my side note. Just keep seeking to be part of whatever He is doing, where He is moving. And hey, prayer is always always a good thing, is it not? 

 

(And maybe take a look at what it says in Habakkuk 2:3 - that is an awesome verse to start a prayer time with. I encourage you to look it up but I will read it to you from the Amplified right now - For the vision is yet for the appointed (future) time; it hurries toward the goal (or fulfillment); it will not fail. Even though it delays, wati (patiently) for it, because it will certainly come; it will not delay.) 

He is always moving, and even when it seems like there is a delay, which there is at times according to the verse I just read from Habakkuk, don't lose heart. Hang your hope on the Lord who always does as He has promised, and don’t unhang your hope when the wait gets long. 

 

Okay, so this next verse is one that I think some people might feel like they just cannot seem to fully believe for themselves. Like, this isn’t going to be true for me. If you’ve ever thought like that, let me encourage you. I am hopeful that you and I can today believe this verse for our very own situations.

 

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT) says - So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

 

A lot in that verse. First, God says to be strong and courageous and that sentence ends with an exclamation point. Now there weren’t exactly punctuation marks in the original Hebrew, right? But the translation into modern English gives us the exclamation point so that we grasp God’s meaning in this verse. The punctuation reminds us of the importance - it’s to garner our attention, to make sure we’re listening and reading what God has said in His word.  So - let’s just do what He says to do! Be strong. Be courageous. Exclamation point. I am guessing you have one or more parts of your life right now, at this point in time, where you can apply this. So go ahead and apply it. Be strong. Be courageous. How? By resting in the Lord and knowing that He is going to keep His word. 

 

Don’t be afraid. Think on Jesus and the fear dissipates, really it does! Do not panic before them, it says. Well “them” of course refers to their enemies. Don’t panic before your enemy. 

 

And here is the reason why you don’t need to be afraid, don’t panic, but instead be strong and courageous. For the Lord your God WILL PERSONALLY go ahead of you. 

This is profound to think about, and yet it is absolutely true. 

 

When God says He WILL do something, He most assuredly will. You just be about the business of believing He will do all He has promised to do. Let Him be about the actual doing of it. 

 

He will personally go ahead of you.

How’s that for a promise that can give you some big time faith? 

 

And the verse ends with this - He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

I’m going to say that once more - He will neither fail you nor abandon you. 

He won’t. That’s that.

 

I’ve got a couple more verses to share with you today. And I am believing they are encouraging to you and will have you just believing by the end of this episode. If not, hey, you can listen again. Let that faith grow in you and believe more and more every single day - trust God more than the news, more than fear, more than anything. Right?

 

Revelation 21:4 (NLT)  - He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying of pain. All these things are gone forever.

 

This is such a wonderful verse for us. I’m not going to mention anything specific today - but we are living in a very tumultuous era. I’m going to say this about our current season in the history of the world: I believe we are living in the end times, the last days. And I say that based on what the Bible teaches us about how things will look in the end times. Now, many Christians will say that we have fifty or a hundred years until Jesus’ return. I don’t think that is possible, because it does not make sense based on what the Bible tells us the last days will be like. Let me explain what I mean - we know that in the last days no one will be able to buy or sell unless they take the mark of the beast, the mark on their hand and/or forehead. You’ve heard this before, I’m pretty sure. You can read about it in Revelation chapter 13, I think verses 16 through 18 specifically. A hundred years ago, was there a way for a mark to be put in your hand or in your forehead that would prevent you from buying or selling? Well, not really. How about fifty years ago? Not really. The answer is, no. It wasn’t possible. How about even 25 years ago? Back in 2000? Getting closer, but the tech wasn’t quite there.

 

So here’s some food for thought. If fifty, a hundred, or even just twenty five years ago the tech wasn’t ready for the mark of the beast to be implemented, and then if we just ponder the last five years or so, the changes in the tech world. It’s astounding how much has changed in a handful of years. So, at the pace technology is changing and advancing, and I can tell you in my limited experience with just the podcast industry and social media, it changes so fast, a month ago things were different with some of the apps and things I use. It’s quick change after quick change, all day long, right? So how does that work if we have fifty or a hundred years yet to go? Won’t the tech outpace the end times at this rate? Like, we cannot fathom what technology will be capable of in fifty or a hundred years. But right now, we can fathom the mark of the beast for buying or selling, and the tech, it would work. We’re right on the cusp of this being a possible and plausible reality. Since this is what we were forewarned of by Jesus Himself in the book of Revelation, is it wise to tell ourselves or to preach to others that we’ve got decades of quote/unquote safe time before it all happens as the Bible says? Or is it far wiser to say, hey, per the words of Jesus, we’re just about to this point technology wise. It’s coming, and it’s not going to be in five or ten decades…because at that point, the tech would have outpaced the very word of God, the prophetic aspects of the end times, and that, we know, cannot and will not happen. 

 

So today, this moment, is the time for you to consider Revelation 21 verse 4. Let me read it once more. Revelation 21:4 (NLT)  - He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying of pain. All these things are gone forever.

 

This verse is a balm for those who know Jesus. It’s key. It’s mission critical to remember there is a day coming when all the tears will stop. And that day is nearly here. No more death or sorrow or crying or pain. Gone forever. I don’t even need to say more about this verse, this promise from Revelation, except that it is for those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you don’t, you are welcome to email me at JanLBurt@outlook.com and I will reply. It’s so important to know Him, not know of Him, not just attend church, but really know Him. Not talking religion here. But true relationship with the Son of God, Jesus. I really do welcome you to contact me. Totally confidential and non judgmental. Just offering Jesus and how to have Him as your best friend forever. 

 

Last verse today - Luke 1:37 (NLT) For the word of God will never fail.

 

Short and sweet. Doesn’t need explaining. No need for commentary. Just know that this is absolute and unchanging truth. 

 

For the word of the Lord will never fail.

 

Anybody else need to know that today?

 

Take that thing, big and scary, and hold it up next to this verse, Luke 1:37. Does one seem bigger and one much smaller? 

 

For the word of the Lord will - never - fail.

 

It won’t. It just flat out will not fail. Never, no never.

 

Lord bless you today. I have prayed for you, all who listen to this episode, and I am going to continue to pray for you. 

 

Live a life sold out for Jesus, believing all of His promises, and just see what God might do in and through a life lived like that. 

 

Find me via my website JanLBurt.com and grab any one of the free items I’ve got on the home page-  and I have a book, a devotional, available on Amazon - The Power of God’s Will - 40 Days of God’s Promises - with verses that have the word “WILL” in them. God does what He says He will do, and He never doesn’t do what He has said that He will do.

 

Have a great day & I will see ya back here next time. Be sure to subscribe to not miss future episodes. Thankful you joined me & blessed to be able to stand by faith on the promises in God’s Word.

 

Bye bye!